Repeat design printing



Aug. 30, 1938. 'r. R. GAUTIER 2,128,877

' REPEAT DESIGN PRINTING Filed Ju ne 10,1936

a $0 M, mu, WW my.

Patented Aug. 30,1938

PATENT OFFICE- REPEAT DESIGN PRINTING Trevor R. Gautier, Nashua, N. l-L, assignor to Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company, Nashua, N. H., a. corporation of Massachusetts Application June 10,

3 Claims.

More particularly theinvention aims to provide an improved method, and means applicable in connection with such printing whereby not only are unsightly and disfiguring markings between successive designs avoided but the design units as a whole are supplemented or given a more finished appearance with little or no increase in the manufacturing cost.

In the drawing, illustrating examplesof strip material incorporating designs printed in accordance with the method of my invention, and showing means for practising such method,

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 each show the outer or labeled face of strips or tapes typical of the invention; Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of a printing I plate whereby the terminal design effects as in Figs. 1 to 3 may be obtained; and

Fig. 5, corresponding to Figs. 1 to 3, and Fig. 6, corresponding to Fig. 4, respectively show another example of a strip and a plate in accordancewith the invention.

Heretofore in printing of the character referred to, wherein a given designunit is to be repeated continuously throughout an indefinite length of the material, disfiguring formations have generally resulted between successive designs. Such disfigurations are in some instances straight line breaks, due to failure of the successive impressions or imprints accurately to abut each other along the straight terminal edge of the printing plate. In other instances the disfigurations comprise unsightly stripes or bars at the juncture of the succeeding designs, caused by an overlapping of the successive imprints or impressions to a greater or less extent. Such disfiguring markings may result from uneven movement of the material printed upon, or from inaccuracies in the action of the'printing element or plate, Whether of the cylinder or fiat-bed type. More frequently they are caused by shrinkage or expansion of the plates from time to time.

So far as I am aware such objectionable formations between impressions have heretofore been avoided, if at all, only in rotary printing and 50 then only by the use of cylinders whereon the design has been engraved or otherwise applied so as to be continuous upon a single cylinder. Such cylinders are costly and may profitably be used only for expensive products, such as the finest grades of wallpaper, or in cases where large runs 1936, Serial NO. 84,467

of a given design are to be made, so that the cylinder cost can be spread over a large production. In accordance with my invention I overcome the objection referred to, and particularly in connection with relatively small runs of the printed strip material, by producing specially configured complete or partial overlaps at the juncture zones of successive impressions and by conforming such configurations to the designs as a whole, or causing them to supplement other portions of the designs, in a pleasing and artistic manner.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, and first to Figs. 1 to 4, I have shown in Fig. 4 a representative sectionv of a copper, zinc orother printing plate 8 secured upon a usual wooden or other mounting block 9. This plate is specially formed and designed for use in the production of the label strips or tapes such as those of Figs. 1 to 3. Label strips of this type are customarily printed in multiples on a web of paper or other material of a width accommodating a number of the ultimate strips in multiples transversely of the sheet, and the printed web is subsequently slitted longitudinally to form the individual strips or tapes. The plate 8 as shown is arranged for such multiple simultaneous printing of a number of strips, which are to be slitted along lines corresponding to the dotted lines numbered l-l, 2-2 and 3-3 in Fig. 4 to form the individual strips such as in Figs. 1 to 3.

For the purposes of description it may be assumed that the main areas of the label strip 8A of Fig. 1, 8B of Fig. 2 or 80 of Fig. 3, represented by the white or unlined areas in those figures, are to be printed in a selected base color or colors, for example yellow. The wide-spaced horizontal lining on Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5 represents such printed base coloring. The successive design units or individual label portions of the strips are designated by the reference characters A, B and C. One entire unit, B, is illustrated, extending between the points marked a), .73, together with portions of the next adjoining units A and C, at either side of unit B. Each such label or design unit generally embodies some particular decorative design including any advertising or other printed matter, legends, and the like, and such portions of the labels are indicated by the areas enclosed in dotted lines and indicated by the numerals 10, both on thestrips and on the plate 8.

Customarily heretofore the plates and consequently also the individual impressions or label units have had uninterrupted straight front and rear edges, perpendicular throughout to the side edges or slit lines of the several strips. Any over.- lap of a following impression upon a preceding one, or any gap between such impressions accordingly resulted in an. unsightly transverse band. But under my present invention I form the front or the rear edges of the printing plate, and inmost instances, such as illustrated, both .such edges, along selected geometrical lines, straight or curved, so as to produce at the juncture zone between successive label units a predetermined geometrically configurated design. Such configuration, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, may conform to and blend with the main design such as represented by the area if], or it may itself constitute an additional or complementary feature of design intermediate the adjoining label units.

Accordingly the plate as illustrated in Fig. 4 is predeterminedly shaped along one or both its transverse edges, as for example by the provision of the pointed side portions or extensions Ill and the arcuate intermediate portion lll in this instance convex. .Such a conformation is especially calculated to conform to a design area such as indicated at ID in the particular example, but it will be understood that the particular edge formation selected may be Widely varied to provide any selected geometrical or decorative configuration at the design unit juncture zones. Where both transverse edges of the plate are specially formed, as in the illustrations, the formations or geometrical lineaments at the leading edge and the rear edge desirably are similar but H oppositely disposed, each to produce one-half of 35' the cooperatively resulting configuration.

One resulting terminal or juncture zone design for the successive impressions or label units obtainable with the plate 8 of Fig. 4 is illustrated in Fig. 1. Each following impression or imprint is made with a calculated overlap upon the one preceding, producing a configuration represented by the lined zones or areas located between the lines b, a and between the lines o, b in said figure. From a comparison of Fig. 1 With the plate of Fig. 4 it will be seen that the unit A, at the left, includes a portion produced by one imprint and extending to the right to the line a, as indicated by the horizontal arrow. It also includes a portion produced by the subsequent imprint, that of the next or B unit, extending to the left as far as the line b, as indicated by the horizontal arrow associated with the B unit. In other words, the length of feed of the strip between successive imprints is deliberately less than the length of the printing plate, this difference in feed length corresponding to the distance between the line b and the adjacent line a, inthe exam.- ple of Fig. 1. Assuming, with reference to said Fig. 1, that an imprint has just been made by plate 8 of Fig. 4 extending from the lefthand line b to the righthand line b indicated at the top of Fig. 1. The stripmaterial would then be fed, say toward the left in 'said figure, only sofar as to bring the righthand line b" over to the line a. The immediately following imprint then produces the overlapped configuration as represented by the fine horizontal shading. As referred to later, Fig. 3 represents one extreme condition, of decreased overlap, due to plate shrinkage, irregular feed, or other cause. But an overlap, as represented by the finely shaded area in said Fig. 3, still occurs because the difference in feed length as compared with plate length, as represented by the'distance b-a in Fig. 1, remains at least equal to any such variation, as evident from a comparison of Figs. 1 and 3. Moreover, the configurated end portions of the plate which cooperate in successive imprints to produce the pleasing designs at the unit juncture zones, said end portions comprising for example the parts Iii and lil of Fig. 4, are themselves of equal or greater longitudinal extent than such maximum variation tending to decrease the overlap. Thus even in the extreme case such as Fig. 3 each unit has at its opposite ends terminal or juncture design portions formed in part by the preceding and the succeeding imprint, and it will be understood that in the finished product the individual label or design units as an entirety extend from the intermediate point an of one juncture zone to the corresponding point x of the next such zone. In use, the label strips are intended to be severed at a point at, to include one or any desired number of the labels or units in the particular strip, as conditions require.

However, severance of the strips directly at a juncture zone, in conjunction with delivering or drawing off the printed strip material from a supply, can be insured only by careful hand operation or by special registering mechanism. And in'accordance with my invention such severance accurately between design units or imprints becomes much less important, because of the avoidance of unsightly stripes or breaks in the printing and the provision instead of pleasingly configurated juncture zones. Thus, if a strip is cut off at points spaced from said zones, giving lengths of strip such as represented in the entirety of any of Figs. 1, 2, 3 or 5, there is no objectionable disfiguring inter-unit band, gaping stripe or straight-lined bar prominently presented, but the length as a Whole is to the contrary made more attractive by the different-toned configurated juncture zones as illustrated.

Thus the feed of the strip material between successive impressions and the length of the plate are calculated to produce the determined overlapping configuration as indicated by the finely or closely shaded zone. This zone will be of a different color,shade or tone from that of the immediately adjoining portions of the several units. For example, in the instance of a yellow background as previously assumed, the designed juncture zone will be of a deeper shade of yellow,

thus producing in effect a two-color or additional color printing job but without actually using an additional color or plate. It will also be seen that the geometrically designed juncture zones not only conform to the general design H! of the units but also supply additional design matter,

complementing and setting off the general designs l0 and affording a finished appearance for the respective design or label units.

Under the practice of my method there is as previously indicated the additional advantage that variations in the extent of the complete or partial overlap between units are rendered immaterial, since they result merely in variations of the designed juncture zones, all generically related, and which still are decorative and serve the intended purpose. In Fig. 2 for example I have shown a designed configuration as resulting in the event of a greater overlap than in Fig. 1, and in Fig. 3 a configuration resulting with less overlap than in Fig. 1. The variant formations of Figs. 2 and 3 represent rather extreme conditions of overlap variation likely to occur by reason of expansion or shrinkage of the plates, or for other cause, as compared with the form of Fig. 1. Other variations obviously may be obtained, in accordance with the feed of the material, the dimensioning of the plates, and any other attendant factors,

In Figs. and 6 I have shown a label tape or strip, and a plate for printing the same, illustrating another of the numerous forms contemplated in accordance with the means and method of my invention. Similar reference characters are used as in the preceding figures to indicate the label units as a whole and the terminal points of the successive imprints. In this instance the plate I2,'Fig. 6, mounted on the usual block I3 is engraved or otherwise prepared with the main design areas I4. The transverse terminal edges of the plate according to this form include the relatively blunt protuberant or pointed portions M M and an intermediate arcuate portion M shown as concave. The resulting configuration for the juncture zones of the tape, employing a medium extent of overlap, corresponding approximately to that as in Fig. 1, is represented on the label strip or tape I2A of Fig. 5. As in the preceding figures the individual label or design units as an entirety, in the finished product, lie between the points x, x. The juncture zones, represented by the shaded areas, have portions formed by each of two succeeding impressions or imprints, as previously described.

It will be understood that my invention, either as to means or method, is not'limited to the exemplary embodiments or steps herein illustrated or described, and I set forth its scope in my following claims:

1. The improved method of applying repeatunit designs in printing on sheet material of indefinite length which comprises forming the leading and terminal edges of a printing element of single-design-unit length along plural-directional lines cooperable in successive imprints to provide a pleasing design, printing with said element successive imprints wherein portions of said edge formations so overlap as to produce a calculated pleasing design at the unit juncture zone, and subsequently severing the sheet material transversely thereof within the juncture zones corresponding to the lengths of material desired.

.2. The improved method of applying repeatunit designs in printing on sheet material of indefinite length which comprises forming the leading and terminal edges of a printing element of single-design-unit length along pluraldirectional lines cooperable in successive imprints to provide a pleasing design, relatively moving the material and the printing element between successive imprints to an extent less than the length of the printing element, and printing with said element successive imprints wherein portions of said edge formations are by said limited relative movement caused so to overlap as to produce a calculated pleasing design at the unit juncture zone, whereby the obtrusive appearance of unsightly demarking breaks, stripes and bands between design units is avoided.

3. The improved method of applying repeatunit designs in printing on sheet material of indefinite length which comprises forming the leading and terminal edges of a printing element of single-design-unit length along plural-directional lines cooperable in successive imprints to provide a pleasing design, relatively moving'the material and the printing element between successive imprints to an extent less than the length of the printing element, printing with said element successive imprints wherein portions of said edge formations are by said limited relative movement caused so to overlap as to produce a calculated pleasing design at the unit juncture zone, whereby the obtrusive appearance of unsightly demarking breaks, stripes and bands between design units is avoided, and subsequently severing the sheet material transversely.

TREVOR R. GAUT'IER. 

